A Couple of Gingerbread House Making Tips

Lick the frosting after piping to ensure a good seal.

Always have an extra pair of little hands help in applying delicate pieces.

Santa Claus Came to Town!

We had special visitors stop by on Monday night. Mr. and Mrs. Claus were in the neighborhood and were so nice to pay us a visit. At first, McKay was quite surprised and in awe to see a real-life Santa at our door, but after a few minutes he became quite shy and clingy. Santa tried to bribe him with a candy cane and marshmallows (his favorite), but it didn't work. We have a large Father Christmas figure that McKay hugs and kisses on a daily basis...McKay will even say, "Ho, ho, ho." I think it was too close to bedtime for much of a positive reaction...but it was still so much fun to have them (nicest people) stop by...we know they had a busy night making 24 stops in the neighborhood.

McKay's first time sitting on Santa's lap (different Santa) actually happened a few days earlier at our ward Christmas party. Maybe McKay knew something was fishy since the two Santas didn't look alike.

Transformation

BEFORE

AFTER

I was on a quest to find an old cheap desk to refinish for Red Mountain's (elementary school in Ivins) Jubilee of Trees entry. I searched everywhere in St. George before I enlisted the help of my fab sister, Holly. She found this beauty at the Catholic Thift Shop in Cedar. She was quite the negotiator and talked them down from $30 to $20. It was perfect! Our theme for the tree was "A Christmas Carol". It totally looked like a piece Scrooge would have.

I love the feeling of turning junk into treasure. The desk needed a lot of work and smelled yucky. After a little sanding, some hammering, adding wood putty and lots of painting I think it turned out quite nice. I was sad to part with it. I was trying to find a way to keep it, but the only way this desk could be mine would be to buy the tree....the last bid I saw tonight was at $1271! I'll always have pictures. Here is one of me saying my last goodbye:

Here's what it looked like next to the tree I helped decorate:


It looked a lot better in person. My flash kind of ruined the effect of the lighting.
Here's a closer picture:

One down with two to go!

We were invited to Alan's house for a delicious Thanksgiving feast with the Pearson family. Most of the family has other plans for Thanksgiving Day, so we were able to celebrate a little early. We missed Janet, Suzanne and their families.

Looking at it makes me hungry all over again. As good as it looked, it tasted even better!


The lineup.

Obviously it was too good to talk.

Two of my gorgeous nieces, Rachel and Katie.

McKay's favorite part was giving Maggie kisses through the window.

Best of Halloweens ever it was!

Halloween is typically my least favorite holiday. I'm not a fan of creepy stuff---spider webs, scary masks, fake blood, etc. I did have a lot of fun last year dressing my baby up for the first time, so I was looking forward to this Halloween more than usual. I really enjoyed making and searching for stuff for our costumes. I'm especially thrilled with my little Yoda. I never thought I would tear up watching my child trick-or-treat. I guess since it was something that I've waited so long for I was a little emotional. He was so cute following his big cousins. As they got to the door, they would wait for McKay to catch up. He learned what to do pretty quick. He maneuvered through the kids to get to the front and held out his bucket. He is so big!



I'm really not much of a Star Wars fan, but I know how much Nathan is. When we registered for baby gifts he made sure to put a lightsaber on the list. We got it (thanks to Misty) and it is one of McKay's favorite toys.

Han Solo, Yoda and Princess Leia

I had McKay put on a costume I got from Old Navy for $1. He wanted it off and told me so many times. He held still just long enough to get a few pictures, but if you look close you can see the tears in his eyes. (I felt like the mom from A Christmas Story.)

Happy Birthday to a Wonderful Husband and Father!!!

Last week was such a busy week that I neglected doing a birthday post dedicated to my best friend and husband, Nathan. We have been through many ups and downs together and there isn't anyone in the world more perfect for me. He is loving, patient and kind. I look forward so much to when he comes home from work each day. I love being together on the weekends and I hate it when Monday comes around and he has to go back to work. He is a great provider for our family and takes such good care of us. He is a constant example to me of goodness. I am amazed at his spirituality and his desire to do what is right. He is a great source of comfort to me and lifts my spirits when I'm down. McKay and I are so lucky to have him in our lives!

We celebrated Nathan's birthday a week early with a family birthday/Halloween party at our house. Nathan is a twin and also had a niece celebrating a birthday so we celebrated for all three.

The Great Pumpkin birthday cake.

What a bunch of cute cousins!

We celebrated again on Nathan's actual birthday (10/30) with another little party and had our friends, the Kemps, join us. We had the kids dress up to give them another opportunity to wear their costumes.

Nathan and his buddy, Indiana Jones (Kaeleb).

Yoda and Indiana

FYI: Pig ears make great Yoda ears! (Once we got past the "ick" factor they were pretty cool.)

What's wrong with this picture?

Absolutely nothing.

Happy Birthday, Holly Jolley!!!

My dear sister, Holly (last name Jolley), celebrated a BIG birthday today. She taught me a lot of what I know, and I'm so lucky and blessed to have her in my life. She is wise, witty, talented, creative, supportive, righteous, a fantastic friend....the list goes on and on.

There aren't many pictures I have of just the two of us together, so I thought I'd share a couple of my favorite pictures of me and my sisters from long, long ago. (You can click on the picture to see it bigger.)


That's me in the front middle, Holly on the right, Janet on the left, and Suzanne in the back.



Janet at top with Baby Kristin, Holly on the left, me in the bottom middle and Suzanne on the right. (If you know Suzanne and her daughters, this picture speaks volumes about where her girls got their picture posing skills.)

Holly shares her birthday with her youngest, Nelson, who turned three today. I hope they both had great, happy birthdays! I love them...oh, so very much!

The Petting Zoo

One little boy was not afraid...





McKay loves everything animal! He chased, pet (smacked) and cornered them all and giggled with glee the entire time.

What did McKay like most this summer?

Was it meeting Mickey Mouse at Disneyland (awkward pose)...

or riding the wheeler (I know, no helmet, see picture below with helmet)...

or hiking Willow Flat with the family...

or playing with cousins (and Bear) at the Pearson Family Lodge in Mink Creek, ID...

or jumping on the trampoline at Uncle Alan's house...

or attending the Oquirrh Mountain Temple Open House...

or eating his favorite meal of spaghetti...

or "driving" the truck...

or swimming in his pool in the backyard?

It's hard to tell! He is such a fun and happy guy who loves just about everything. He has so much energy and is so busy that sometimes nap time can't come soon enough, but then I always miss him when he's sleeping. In the fifth picture down he's holding a spatula. It's his favorite toy. He's actually pretty selective on the type of spatula he carries...it has to be black with holes in the flat part. He spends a lot of time following me around the house, and if I'm cooking he has to be a part of it. Good times!

Super Fun Fourth

This year, Independence Day was much more fun than I remember in years past. I'm pretty sure it had something to do with how fun it was watching McKay's reaction to all that went on...especially during the parade and fireworks. He is usually quite a happy boy, but on the fourth he seemed to be in a particularly good mood. We started off our celebrations on the third by watching our friends/neighbors put on a spectacular fireworks show. McKay's first experience with fireworks was rocky at the start, but he slowly warmed up to the loud noises and flashing lights. Let's just say that we learned how to get McKay to cuddle
with us. ;)

On the fourth, we headed up to Cedar City for the traditional parade and family picnic. In our rush to leave home at 8:00 am, I forgot to pack the camera. Holly was kind enough to take these pictures for us at the parade:

On the Loose

Family Picture
(Third time's the charm.)

Fishing at the Park

We headed up Cedar Canyon for a picnic with my family. Everything seemed so green and lush and we managed to take a few good pictures with my cell phone.




We spent the evening with Nathan's family, had dinner and watched more fireworks. I let my guard down and let McKay play in the water...fully clothed.



McKay was too tired to stay awake for the big show in the sky, but he was a little more brave with the frontyard show.